


Promise

by nursemorphine



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Almost Dying, Eventual Smut, I don't know how to write in anything but long paragraphs, M/M, OCs? maybe, Original areas, Shy Love, Slow Burn, but not really, polyamory?, searching for noctis, sort of follows the game, stupid hunts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-06-29 17:38:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19835257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nursemorphine/pseuds/nursemorphine
Summary: Noctis left the group a year ago with no word as to what he needed to do or where he was going, just that it was for everyone's safety. Ignis still searches for him with the help of Prompto and Gladiolus. The Empire returns, hunts ensue. Love blooms in the middle of all the chaos.





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

> ^_^ Thanks for stumbling upon "Promise". This isn't my first fic, but it's the first one I'm publicly publishing! 
> 
> There will be eventual smut/sex later on. I love a good slow burn though.  
> Chapters will fluctuate in length, and with recent feedback, I'm fixing the paragraphs.  
> Let me know what you think, I welcome all comments. 
> 
> ~Enjoy!~

Ignis had walked along this beach countless times, though never alone. For the time of year, it was eerily quiet, but it was exactly what he needed then. Pausing for a moment to let the water wash over his boots he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, picturing Noctis standing next to him. 

"Noct...." he whispered and opened his eyes, looking up into the clear blue sky. 

Had it really only been a year since they parted ways? It felt much longer which made his heart ache for the other man, but he knew this was the best decision he could have done for his safety. He kept walking along, knowing the other two members of his party would be waiting for him to return. They didn't ask to come along when he said he was stepping out for a walk, and he was grateful for the moment alone. As their camp came into view he heard the other two laughing and smiled to himself.

"Somethings never change though..." With one last glance towards the sea, he collected himself before rejoining the group.  


___________________________________________________________________________

Gladiolus stood with his arms folded on the edge of camp and watched Ignis walk to the beach. His brow furrowed as he slipped out of sight and sighed. 

“Hey, whatchu doin’?” He heard Prompto ask from somewhere behind him, but he didn’t answer and continued to stare off towards the beach. 

Prompto came up and stood next to him, stretching a bit before interlocking his fingers and holding the back of his head. “Ahh..... I almost forgot what day it was...” Prompto sighed. “How is he?” 

Gladiolus shrugged. 

“He was up bright and early like always, made breakfast for us and when I stepped out of the tent he told me he was going for a walk. I wasn’t about to stop him...” he tightened his arms just a little, almost like a hug and sighed. “I don’t know if he thought we would notice, but he made Noct’s favorite meal...” 

Prompto let his arms fall to his sides, looking a bit defeated. “I know... I saw... did he say when he was coming back from his walk?” Gladiolus shook his head. “No. But I’m not going to rush him. It’s only been a year. Though I can’t believe it’s been a year....” 

“Yeah, time sure flies....” Prompto said softly, while playing with the hem of his vest before looking up at him. “I miss him... I wonder about him a lot. Do you, Gladio?” 

Gladiolus grunted at him. Getting sad emotional wasn’t something he really enjoyed, but today he may make an exception. He turned toward Prompto and saw his eyes were rimmed with red and his usual pepped up self was indeed looking a bit defeated. 

“I... I try not too. It makes me wish that things could have ended differently. That maybe I could have done something differently and Noctis wouldn’t have had to go into hiding like this. That he wouldn’t cut off all contact with everyone for his and our safety... yes. I miss him... but not as much as Iggy does.” 

Prompto nodded, and sniffed before staring back out at the beach.

“He begged Noct to let him go with him. He kept telling him no, that it wasn’t safe. That the imperials would kill him if they found them. He was utterly devastated.” He went quiet and played with a rock with the tip of his foot. As the silence lapsed, he spoke quietly again. 

“I’m glad you didn’t have to see the direct aftermath of that. He didn’t leave his room for days. I was starting to worry I would have to try and intervene or call you back sooner, but then you made it back, and something in him clicked.” Gladio nodded, feeling a bit ashamed that he wasn't there for his friend, before he could respond, Prompto continued. 

“He’s never wanted to travel as much as we’ve done this year. He’s enjoyed it at times, sure. But I think he’s searching for something. A sign that Noct is okay. Or maybe for the man himself.” Prompto sighed, then smiled and turned back to the camp “Though... if I know Iggy, he wouldn’t want to come back to a messy camp? Would he?” Gladio snorted “It’s only messy because you’re a pig.” 

Prompto looked offended “What?! Me, a pig? No sir, you have that backwards.” 

Gladio tried to grab Prompto in a headlock, but Prompto was too quick for him to grab and danced away laughing. “I’ll show you pig, ya jerk.” Gladio grumbled. 

Prompto did a raspberry at him, laughed again and skipped back to the stove to start cleaning things up before Ignis came back.

___________________________________________________________________________

The laughing got louder the closer Ignis got back to camp. Standing on the edge, he caught Gladiolus and Prompto in the middle of a food fight. 

"Call me a pig why don't ya. I am NOT a pig!" Gladio yelled and hurled a roll covered in honey at Prompto. Prompto ducked, and the roll hit the side of the tent before slowly sliding down, leaving a thick trail of honey behind it.

"You called me a pig first! I just dished it back!" Prompto tossed a bowl at Gladiolus's head, but it was caught before it made contact. 

Ignis just shook his head and sighed. "Really. I leave for a short while, and you two destroy camp. I can't leave you two alone unattended anywhere, can I?" In what looked like slow motion, both Gladiolus and Prompto turned towards Ignis, eyes wide. 

"Welp, looks like we got caught. It's Gladio's fault!" Prompto immediately pointed at him, all while trying not to laugh. 

Gladiolus huffed, rolled his eyes, and folded his arms."Yeah yeah... How about we clean up now, eh 'To?" 

Prompto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Ahhh yeah... Sorry Iggy." 

Ignis chuckled. "Boys will be boys I suppose. Cleaning supplies are in the gray bag" he pointed to the gray bag that was covered in the last of the eggs, which prompted groans from both men. 

"I do hope you left the coffee alone, I'd like another cup before we go." 

Prompto just grinned. 

"We would never soil the coffee like that Iggy! We do value our lives, ya know." 

Ignis just raised his eyebrow at him as he made he way through the mess to the coffee pot. "Are you sure? Picking a fight with Gladio in any form doesn't seem to be the smartest idea." 

Prompto pouted a bit which made Gladio smirk "Aww... You're so cute when you pout, 'To." 

"Pfffttt." was all he could reply back, sticking his tongue out, before grabbing the gray bag. "Welp, we should probably start cleaning up now instead of stalling, huh?"

"Indeed"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Food fight! Is that a little flirting I see?? Hmm ;)


	2. Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudo's guys! ^_~. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to leave them. I appreciate all feedback. 
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you enjoy it. ((I'm also trying to space out my stupidly long paragraphs to make it a little easier to read.))

Twenty minutes and much grumbling later, they had camp cleaned and packed up and were ready to head back out. Ignis stood at the edge of camp that looked out near the beach. 

"Iggy, we don't have to leave now. We can stay another night if you wanted..." Gladio said softly. Ignis shook his head. 

"No. I'm fine. There's nothing here...." he paused, and for a brief moment sorrow flashed across his face before he composed himself. "We should keep moving. It looks like a storm is coming, and I'd rather get to Wiz's Chocobo Post before it becomes a downpour." 

"Wait, what?! Chocobos! Aww yeah!" Prompto did a fist bump into the air and danced around. Gladio watched with a smirk across his face, while Ignis folded his arms and waited for him to be done. "Wait... Why are we going there exactly?" 

Prompto stopped, cocking his head to the side with a hand on his hip. Ignis didn't respond. 

"You're hoping maybe he stopped through there, aren't you?" Gladiolus said quietly. "You don't have to carry that emotional burden by yourself. We miss him too..." 

Ignis sighed softly. "Yes... I am hoping that there could be something there. Anything.. Even a whisper, just to ease my heart." he paused, before turning back towards them. "Even if there isn't, I know Prompto will enjoy it. Actually I think we all will. We haven't seen the chocobos in a few months, maybe we could leave the car there and ride on them for a little while." 

Prompto grinned. "You two still owe me a race too! Aww yeah!" He jumped up again before running off to the car. "Come on guys!" 

"Wait for us you punk. We still have the camping gear to carry back!" Gladiolus grumbled, knowing Prompto was going to be no help with the gear, before grabbing it all himself and heading down to the car. Ignis took one last glance at the water before following his companions to the car to head to their next destination.

"I want to ride a chocobo all day." Prompto said in a sing-song voice. Gladiolus grumbled again while he put the camping gear in the trunk. "What?! I can't get it out of my head!" 

He grinned as he hopped in the front passenger seat as Ignis took the drivers seat and Gladio slid into the back. Ignis checked the mirrors before buckling up. 

"Everybody ready?" 

Two quick "uh huhs" and he started the car. The Regalia purred to life and they started their journey to the chocobo post. 

"Looks like blue skies for now, so I'll leave the top down." 

"Sounds good to me!" Gladiolus said from the backseat, getting comfortable by stretching out. 

"So, Iggy.... I've been thinking, maybe we should head back to Altissia soon." Prompto said quietly. Ignis took a deep breath, and glanced over at him. His face was full of worry and concern. "I mean... Cindy hasn't needed us to run many errands for her since the Imperial army was defeated and it became safer to drive around again during the day. Plus we haven't visited Wes, or even Lunafreya in a while, it would be nice to see how they're doing." 

Ignis knew he was right. It had been about ten months since they had defeated the Imperial army, though he wished Noct had been there to see them take it down. 

"I know, I have thought about that. I just wanted to check out our normal areas before..." his voice cracked and was caught in his throat. 

Prompto reached out and rubbed his shoulder. "I know... We know... I had hoped that he would have come back by now. The main danger seems to be gone, there doesn't seem to be any reason why he should stay in hiding." 

"But what if he isn't hiding?" Gladiolus said from the backseat. "I think he has his reasons, and I don't think he's alone, at least not all the time. I'm sure Umbra shows up from time to time, and Lunafreya has to know where he is." 

Ignis sighed. "She doesn't, at least not since the last time I got a message from her. She said Noct stopped replying to her when she would send Umbra out to find him. Just his initials to let her know he received her message." He paused. "I'm beginning to think he doesn't want to be found, or he's still searching for something." 

They all went silent while they mulled over what Ignis had just said. They knew at the time he had left, it was safer for him to run than to fight as they hadn't been able to acquire all the royal arms and his powers seemed to ebb and flow at their own convenience rather than when he needed it most. Ignis had a growing suspicion that Noct knew more than he had let on, and perhaps they weren't out of the woods yet danger wise. The army had been taken out, but Ardyn hadn't been captured and wasn't found with the dead, thus they came to the conclusion that he disappeared. While it was worrisome, no one seemed overly upset at this fact, and celebrated the new found freedom from the Empire. 

As they took a turn, they caught sight of the valley. 

"Wow, the rain has been good to them. Look at how green it is!" Prompto exclaimed excitedly, pulling out his camera to take a few shots. 

Ignis smiled fondly at him, "If you'd like us to stop, we can, you'll likely get better pictures that way." 

"Oh, oh! Can we? It's been forever since we've been at this view point, and with the lush greenery, aww man! Perfect shot!" Prompto was practically vibrating with excitement in his seat. 

Ignis laughed "Certainly, there's a parking spot up ahead." 

Gladio chuckled to himself, before sitting up and leaning between the two front seats. "Maybe you should enter the photo contest again, especially if you can get this shot." 

Prompto smiled before reaching over stroking Gladio's hand, "That's a great idea, Gladio!" 

He squeezed gently before pulling away and getting his camera ready while Ignis pulled into the parking spot. Prompto nearly jumped out of the car before it had come to a complete stop before running to the edge.

Ignis shook his head as he and Gladio got out of the car and walked to the edge. "You know, you're going to hurt yourself one of these days with your over-zealous nature, Prompto." Ignis chided, Gladio hummed in response.

Prompto shrugged his shoulders. "It's all about living in the moment, guys. Sometimes you need to jump out of a moving car to get a great shot!" 

He turned and grinned at them, then went back to his picture taking. "Alright, now.. from here.. "

Click. Click. Click. 

"Ahh yeah! Thanks Iggy! These are great." Prompto grinned as he clicked through the shots. "Oh! Let's take a group picture." 

He ran and set up his tripod before either of them could object, and then moved them into position. 

"Okay.. one.. two.. three!" 

He hit the timer and ran to stand between them. 

Click. 

"Eeee, now don't move." Prompto commanded them. 

Gladiolus sighed, and Ignis chuckled. 

"This is nice Gladio. We needed new pictures anyway." 

Gladiolus just rolled his eyes, before giving him a smile. 

"Yeah!! look guys! Perfect shot." Prompto ran back over with his camera to show them. It was a beautifully framed picture, and all three of them were smiling. 

Ignis felt his heart strings tug, and his eyes started to burn from the tears that threatened to spill over. "It's wonderful, Prompto. I'm glad you asked us to stop." 

"No, thank you two for standing perfect for the picture!" Prompto said as he went back through his recently pictures, with Gladio peaking over his shoulder 

"Well, when we have a great photographer as yourself, it's hard to look bad. I really like it, 'To." Prompto blushed and leaned into Gladio before going and taking down the tripod.

Ignis watched their small tokens of affection for each other, before feeling like he was intruding and turned away to look at the scenery to compose himself for the rest of the drive. Crying while driving is not recommended. While they were walking back to the car, he noticed a ship flying off in the distance. 

"Gladio!" he called over his shoulder, "What does that look like to you?" 

Gladio walked back "What does what look like, Iggy?" Ignis pointed off to the right. "That." he squinted and then gasped. "No. That can't. But how? Why?" 

"What's wrong guys?" Prompto ran back over and looked up in the sky. "No... But... That's... "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait.. Is it? But it couldn't be, could it?


	3. The Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the Kudos and bookmarks guys! I hope you're enjoying it so far. <3

"An Imperial ship" Ignis said gravely.

The three of them stood in shocked silence as they watched the ship in the sky. "It looks like it's heading towards Lestallum." Prompto said softly, breaking the silence. "Wait.. Isn't Iris still there?" 

Gladio tensed up and let out what sounded like a growl. "Yes. She was helping with the power plant for a while before going back to Cape Caem. Last I heard, she was still there. Ignis..." 

He turned towards Ignis as he held up his hand. 

"First, we have no idea if it's really Imperials in that ship, even though it is an Imperial ship. Second, we should gather information. We were in the Cleigne region for the past 4 months and never saw anything out of the ordinary, but this could be a regular occurrence here. Let's get to the chocobo post, see what we can find out there." 

Gladio went to speak again, and Ignis cut him off. 

"She's been in similar situations before and was fine, Gladio. Call her once we get to the post. Prompto, I want you to call Cindy and see if she has any information. I will talk to Wiz and see if he's seen or heard anything." 

Gladio just nodded, determination on his face. Prompto hummed in agreeance before snapping a few pictures of the ship in the distance. 

"I don't like the thought of them being back, but you're right. Let’s get to the post as soon as we can. I just hope Iris is okay." Gladiolus said as they started to head back to the car. 

Once in, Ignis put the top back up, rolled up the windows and locked the doors. "I realize that the weather is still nice, but I'm a bit on edge. I do hope you understand..." The others just shrugged or nodded, and they drove off in silence. While Ignis sped the entire way there, Prompto leaned over to look at the dash. 

"Uh, Iggy, you're going 90. Don't you think we should slow down?" 

He said nothing and kept driving, tightening his hands on the steering wheel until they looked white. _'Noct.. Please be safe. Leave me a sign.. anything.. Please...'_ He thought as he weaved his way through cars, not caring for the honks or yells he was receiving. Prompto glanced back at Gladio who just shrugged at him before turning back to his book.

They turned onto the dirt road that led down to the post just before sun down. He slowed the car down, and parked it near the rental trailer they would be staying in for the night. 

"You two make your calls, gather as much information as possible. I'm going to go find Wiz and see what he knows." 

"Right."  
"You got it!" 

They all got out of the car. Ignis took a quick look around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. The baby chocobos were waddling around, and the adults were in their pens. He walked behind the building to where theirs were held and saw Wiz petting Prompto's. He paused for a moment. 

"One... two... three.... Varen's gone." His heart began to sink. Where was Noct's chocobo? Did something happen?

Wiz looked up and saw a panicked Ignis looking at their pen. "Ah Ignis, you're here! Come over here, they've missed you." 

He slowly made is way down to the pen, and his green chocobo, Liss, became excited when she saw him coming.

"Wiz.. Where's Varen?" he barely got out, not trusting his voice enough to not give his feelings away. 

"Don't panic. King Noctis told me this may be your reaction when he stopped by to get him." 

Ignis stopped breathing. Noct had been here. 

"He asked me to give you this letter. He stopped by about a month and a half ago. Said he was going to need Varen to get him around, that it was faster than just walking." Wiz pulled a letter out of his pocket and handed it to Ignis. 

"He also said that you three should be here soon, but he didn't know when. I didn't ask anything else, he seemed in a hurry so I wasn't about to stop him." Wiz patted Ignis on the shoulder. "He paid in advance for the three of you to stay for a few nights, so be my guest." He gestured in the direction of the trailer before walking away, leaving Ignis alone. 

He patted Liss for a few moments before he went to open the letter. His hands were shaking, and then he realized his entire body was shaking. He closed his eyes and took a seep shaky breath, and then another, until he calmed down. He slowly opened the letter and pulled it out. 

_"My dearest Ignis,_

_First I want to say thank you for keeping an eye on everyone I care for and love. I know my sudden disappearance was a shock to them, and it hasn't been easy. Only you, Gladio and Prompto know some of my reasons for leaving, although I'm sure you still have many questions._  
_I also know you've been trying to track me. I've found some of your trinkets you left behind in places we used to frequent a lot together. I dared not to leave anything behind for fear of being found by others. But thank you. I have kept them close to my heart._  
_I'm hoping you are not too far behind me if you're reading this. Yes, I needed Varen. I cannot tell you where I'm going or what I'm doing, but know this. Those are indeed Imperial ships, and there are Imperial armies on them._  
_I have a sneaking suspicion that Ardyn is behind this, as he was before, but that's all I can say for now._

_Be safe. I promise we will be together again soon._

_Tell the others I miss them too._

_Truly yours,_

_Noct."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you right in your suspicions? 
> 
> How about that letter? 
> 
> Will they be together soon?


	4. Unburdened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xD Alright. I've tried to break up the paragraphs. This chapter is a little longer (I think) than the first 3, so I think I still have some work to do before I get it down. Let me know if it reads okay, or if I need to tweak some things. I appreciate all feedback, if something sounds weird or off, let me know!

It took Ignis a moment to figure out why there were drops of water falling just on the paper and no where else; he had started crying. 

"Oh Noct, you stupid boy..." He whispered and let the tears fall. 

Liss kweh'd softly at him and rubbed their head against his shoulder. He leaned into the soft feathers, wrapping his arms around their neck, and broke down. 

Noct found the trinkets left behind. He knew they were looking for him, even if not directly. He knew they cared, and that made hope and fear blossom in his heart. 

"Noct..." he croaked. 

Taking a very shaky breath he stepped back from Liss who looked concerned, and wiped the tears and small tufts of green feathers off his face. 

"Thank you Liss. I promise we will ride soon." 

"Kweh!" They replied. 

It had gotten dark during his time standing there reading the letter, and then crying into his chocobo. _'At least the darkness may hide the fact that I was crying...'_ He thought as he composed himself, patted Liss one more time, and walked back around the building. He spotted Gladio and Prompto talking with Wiz and writing stuff down. Prompto noticed him and waved him over. He contemplated it for a moment, and then gestured in the direction of the trailer, and headed that way.

~~~

"What's up with him?" Prompto questioned.

Wiz watched Ignis walk away and sighed. "Well, I've given you all the info I know right now, so you boys best go check on him, and your chocobos. They've missed you an awful lot." Before he walked away, he picked up a basket of food that was sitting under the table and placed it on top. "This here is for y'all. Already paid for. Make sure he eats will you? I'll see you in the morning." 

Wiz gave them a single nod and headed to his quarters. 

Prompto looked at Gladio and cocked his head to the side "What was that all about? And what does he mean that it's already paid for? Did Iggy pay for everything already?" 

Gladio rubbed his chin, looking thoughtfully down at the paper. "I don't know, but he looked upset. How about you check on the chocobos, and I will take the food to the trailer and set it up." 

"Right." Prompto grabbed his notepad and shoved it into his pocket before walking towards the back pen, while Gladiolus picked up the basket in one hand, his paper still in the other, and made his way to the trailer. 

Ignis had left the door propped open, but not on purpose. He was still in a daze from the letter, which he kept reading over and over, trailing his fingers across the indented words, trying to picture Noct writing it. He was so engrossed that he didn't realize that Gladio had walked in until he said something. 

"You know Iggy, had I been a monster, you would have been toast." 

Ignis jumped, blinked rapidly a few times and looked around coming back to his senses, noticing the basket on the table, and Gladio standing there with his arms folded, looking very unamused. 

"I....." Ignis began to speak when they heard Prompto's yells from outside getting louder. "VAREN'S GONE! IGNIS, GLADIO, VAREN'S GONE!!!" 

He burst into trailer, eyes wide with fear and worry. 

"What the hell are you going on about. Calm down Prompto." Gladio grabbed his shoulders to calm him down. 

"Varen is gone from the pen. There's just our chocobo's left." 

The two of them turned towards Ignis.  


"Noct was here..." he said softly, and extended his arm out to let them take the now tear soaked letter to read it. 

They read in silence, which was only broken by sad sighs, and then Prompto's footsteps as he made his way to Ignis. He fell to his knees and wrapped him in a tight hug. Ignis let himself melt into the hug, fumbling to take off his glasses as he began to crack, thankful that Gladio grabbed them from him. Prompto just held him as he broke down and cried on his shoulder. He tried for so long not to let anyone see how much it hurt him that Noctis had left, but he couldn't be strong anymore. Knowing he was alive gave him hope, and a sense of dread that they were too late. 

"I promise you Iggy... We will find him." Prompto whispered, before humming softly and rubbing Ignis's back, as his sobs slowly stopped and there was just the occasional stuttery breath. 

Ignis felt drained, but also felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He slowly pulled away from Prompto who pulled his arms away, but let his hands rest on Ignis's knees. His eyes were puffy and red, nose dripping, and he sniffed. 

"Tha.. thank you." 

Gladio handed him a handkerchief and set his glasses on the table. He wiped his face off and blew his nose before he put his glasses back on. He sighed, looking deflated. 

Prompto stayed kneeling in front of him and smiled up at him. "You don't have to carry that burden alone ya know. You never did, but we didn't want to push or pry you when we could tell you weren't ready, but maybe we should have?" 

Ignis nodded, but before he could respond, his stomach rumbled and ruined the entire moment. Gladiolus snickered, Prompto grinned, which made Ignis chuckle. 

"Well, I certainly know how to ruin a good somber mood, don't I?" He reached over and placed his hands on Prompto's and squeezed them in thanks before pulling away.

"Thank you. Truly. I... " Ignis took a deep breath. "I should have opened up sooner, I didn't realize how lost I had become until I read the letter and it all came crashing down. I love him. More than anything, and I've tried so hard to not go chasing directly after him." 

He looked between the two. 

"I can't believe you two followed me around aimlessly, doing odd jobs, taking on hunts, just to appease my broken heart." He looked away, feeling ashamed.

Gladio shook his head. "Tsk..." 

Ignis look up at him with a confused expression. "What?" 

"You're so dense Iggy. How long have we been friends. How long have we been traveling together, protecting each other, and you still have that stupid notion that you can't open up to us because you have it in your head that you're supposed to be the one with their head on straight. We've known that you loved him for a while now, and that he loves you back. We all share a tent together, it's not hard to notice when you two are curled up a little close whispering sweet nothings at each other." 

Ignis's cheeked flushed and Gladio rolled his eyes before continuing. 

"We never said anything because it wasn't our place, and guess what? We don't care. We were happy for you two, but you closed yourself off when he left. We were hurting too you know. You need to trust us a little more, okay?"

Prompto smacked Ignis's knee gently. "No more hermity Iggy, 'kay? You've been all mopey and stuff. We miss our normal Iggy." 

He stood up, cocked his head and did finger guns at him which made Ignis shake his head, but give him a small smile before he too stood up, straightened his shirt and tried to compose himself. 

Ignis turned towards the window and watched one of the baby chocobos run around. 

"You know, we never tried to hide it. But on the same hand, we knew things shouldn't... Couldn't... Get too serious because there was little hope for us. He was to be married to Lunafreya. I am his royal adviser, and trusted friend.... But who knows what will happen now that he's been in hiding for a year." 

He turned back towards them and his stomach made rumbling noises again, which made him grumble. Prompto snorted, and turned towards the basket. 

"Well... Either way Iggy, we have your back. Always." Prompto grinned, and opened the basket. "Oooohhhh rolls. Fries! Dude! Wiz hooked us up!" He excitedly started pulling food out. 

"Let's eat, rest and sleep and we can discuss what our next actions are in the morning." Gladiolus said as he helped Prompto by getting plates and silverware so they could eat. 

"Mmm.. Yes, that sounds like an excellent plan, and that food smells amazing." Ignis murmured as helped clear the table of his things, while Prompto and Gladiolus made up the plates and brought them over. 

Prompto grabbed the keys to the Regalia suddenly, "Ooh, I think we have some drinks in the car cooler, I'm gonna go check." 

Out the door he went before either of them could say a word. 

"That kid has more energy than he knows what to do with." Gladio smirked and went back to putting the table together. 

"Well, if we were out fighting more, I think the energy would wear off faster. Seeing as we've done our best to stay away from the wild lands lately, I think he's starting to get stir crazy." Ignis replied, while looking out the trailer window watching Prompto run the long way around the fence to get to the car. "And I was right." 

He smiled and watched him run back the same way with three drinks in his arms. Singing about riding chocobos again, he hopped up the steps and came back inside. 

"Ha! I was right. These are the last ones left, which is probably a good thing since we wouldn't want to leave much in the car if we're going to start traveling on foot and chocobo." 

Prompto set the drinks down, and then smacked his hands together before rubbing them. 

"I am starving, so lets eat!" 

Ignis snorted, and sat back down while the others joined him. Prompto always knew how to lighten the mood when it started to get into a heavy zone. He was grateful for the distraction from the letter, the crying, and the worries that now lay ahead of them. A nice night with good food and laughter is what they all needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love me some sappy boys, especially Ignis. Prim and proper broken down to a normal human state. <3


	5. Where to go from here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it's been a few weeks. Life has been hectic x.x. 
> 
> A huge thank you to owlymerlin! They've helped me with editing the previous chapters, and this one. <3  
> So, if you've read through up to this point, I encourage you to go back and read through the first 4, as I edited the format, and added/removed some things to help it make better sense.

Prompto had tossed and turned all night. 

At first it was his anxiety of the unknown that kept him up, his mind racing when he wished it would just shut up. Then once he did fall asleep, his dreams kept turning into nightmares and he would wake with a start, heart racing. 

He felt bad for Gladio because he would also wake up when Prompto woke up, and would help console him so he could go back to sleep. 

_‘Shh, ‘To. It’s okay. They’re just dreams, not real…’_ Gladio would whisper, and he would slowly come back to reality and fall asleep. 

He groaned and rolled over to face his partner, who was breathing deeply. His eye lashes were quite long, and held the right amount of curl. The scar across his face added the right amount of intimidation. Prompto smiled and soaked in the sight, but wished he was sleeping as well.

He sighed, rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling of the trailer, resigning himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to get any more sleep today. 

“You could go for a run.” 

Prompto jumped. Gladio chuckled. 

“I didn’t think you were awake, Gladdy.” He said softly, turning his head to look at him. 

Gladio yawned before reaching over and resting his hand on Promto’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb. “It’s hard to sleep when there’s a small, fidgety person rolling around next to you.” He smirked. 

Prompto whined. “It’s not my fault my dreams are stupid. I just have a lot on my mind.” He placed his hand on top of Gladio’s and squeezed. 

Gladio looked over at the window, then back at Prompto. “The sky is beginning to lighten, this is the best time. Go get Bo, go for a run. We can talk when you get back.” 

Prompto groaned and snuggled into Gladio’s chest. Gladio chuckled again and pulled the smaller man away from him, who sighed. “I know. You’re right. You usually are.” 

Rolling back over, Prompto swung his legs off the bed, and grabbed his clothes from the floor so he could get dressed. Gladio lay on his back, arm tucked under his head and watched in amusement. 

Fully dressed, and ready to go, he walked around the bed, leaned down and pressed his forehead to Gladio’s. “I’ll be back.” 

“Be safe, ‘To.” 

Prompto smiled, pulled away and left the little room, pausing for a moment to watch Ignis sleeping on the couch bed, before quietly exiting the trailer. 

He yawned and stretched before heading to the back pens to find a saddle and gysahl greens so he could go for a ride. Gladio was right, this was the best time to go for a run to help sort his thoughts. He knew if he tried to talk right now, he would either word vomit everything on his mind and then feel embarrassed, or clam up and not be able to say a word at all. 

It frustrated him, but the run would definitely help.

He found a saddle that would fit Bo, grabbed the greens, and headed to the pen.

"Kweh kweh!" 

His chocobo Bo was incredibly excited to see him. 

"Hey there pretty thing. I've missed you too." 

He set the saddle down, held out the greens for Bo, and gently pet their neck. Bo flapped their wings in happiness which made Prompto laugh. 

"Okay, okay! Let me get the saddle on and let’s go for a run!" 

He let Bo out of the pen, saddled them up, and hopped on. They slowly made their way out of the post to the road. 

"Heeyah!" 

Bo went into full sprint down the road. It was exhilarating. The sheer force of the chocobo, the wind blowing through his hair, the near misses of monster attacks when they run through the grasslands. Prompto had missed it all and was over the moon that they were going to be traveling like this again. 

They ran a few laps nearby before he decided to go near the fishing spot in Alstor Slough. Surprisingly, there was no one there, so it was quiet. They slowed to a stop and he hopped off. 

"Don't go too far. It's just me, and I don't want to have to save you from a pack of Voretooth because you got too curious." 

"Kweh?" Bo tilted their head and looked at Prompto before rubbing it against him and trotting off. 

He smiled and watched for a little while before really looking at his surroundings. The Catoblepas were lurking around in the lake as normal, the fish were jumping about, and he was struck with a wave of longing for the past. 

He sat at the edge of the deck and sighed. "What are we going to do?" 

A part of him wanted to get to Lestallum, but something told him they really should head to Hammerhead first. Cindy said they had seen a few ships, but nothing too serious. No ground troops or machines, but they had been coming from the direction of Insomnia, which really worried him. It meant they hadn't taken down everyone, and that the Imperial army still stood strong. 

He laid back on the dock and looked up at the sky. "Noct, where are you man? I don't know that we're going to be able to do this without you..." 

"Kweh!" Bo said in reply and he snorted. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right." 

He turned his head towards the east and saw another ship, it was a little closer this time and he could definitely see the Imperial insignia on the side. It was lowering itself to the ground and magitek troops jumped out. 

He sat up and got up quickly, whistling for Bo to get over there. "Son of a bitch. We need to head back, now." Jumping on Bo, he took one quick look behind him before running back towards the post. All other issues that were worrying him went right out the window.

___________________________________________________________________________

Ignis slept like the dead, which was unusual for him. He typically was the first to rise to get coffee brewing, water for tea boiling, and breakfast started. This time, however, he had slept in far later than he was used too.

He blinked groggily and groaned as he slowly rolled over, realizing he also hadn't moved all night either. 

"Releasing all those emotions really took it out of you." He sat up and turned his head to see Gladio sitting at the table, looking out the window. 

"I'm not surprised that you slept this long. You needed it." 

"Mmmm..." he replied and then looked around and realized Prompto wasn't there. Before he could really open his mouth, Gladio cut him off. 

"He went on a ride with Bo. He needed it. We've all had so much on our minds that we've kept a lot of things inside. This is his way figuring out his thoughts." 

Ignis just nodded his head as they sat in silence. 

They all had gotten into the unhealthy habit of not talking about things too deeply, and making light of situations. From his breakdown last night, he realized just how bad he had let things get in his own head. 

"We need to discuss what you two found out yesterday, and see how it all ties into Noct's note, and where we go from here. There's a lot of unknowns and..." Ignis paused, took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm worried. For us. For Noct. For the rest of the people who live here." 

Ignis reached over, grabbed his glasses and put them on, and then got himself out of bed. 

"I've already made coffee. It's not as good as yours, but I was impatient." Gladio gestured to the coffee pot.

Ignis hummed happily in response, pouring himself a cup and took a moment to smell it. It wasn’t as strong as his, but there was something else there. He took a sip. 

"Really? Because this is quite good, even if it isn't mine. I’m also tasting hints of cinnamon?" 

Gladio smiled at the compliment. “Mmmhmm. I saw it tucked away in the basket, and knew it was something you used to add from time to time.”

Ignis smiled to himself before he glanced out the window to see Prompto flying up the road and through the post to the trailer. "I wonder what's gotten him all worked up." 

Prompto put Bo back into the pen and ran back to the trailer. He pulled the door open a little too hard and it banged against the side, making him wince before he closed it. 

"Oops, didn't mean to do that.”

He look a moment to catch his breath. 

“Okay. So. Morning Iggy. You look better... Anyway. Imperial trooped just touched down east of Alstor Slough. Not close enough to an outpost to worry citizens, but it seemed like a really random spot to just drop troops down without warning. This must be new as well because when I talked to Cindy, she said she hadn't seen any troops, or any of their machinery." 

Ignis's expression darkened. "Could you see if there was anyone else around when they dropped?" 

Prompto shook his head. "No. I saw a few beasts, but there was nothing else there. Just open land. I didn't stick around to see what would happen next as we were down at the fishing spot with little cover, and Bo is bright red. Kinda hard to miss that." 

Prompto went and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs while Ignis took his coffee and leaned against the adjacent counter. 

"So, we know that Noct has Varen and is traveling. The Imperial army has recooped and is back at it again. What did you find out Gladio?" Ignis looked over at Gladio who sat with his arms folded.

"Iris said that some troops had gone into town looking for information, but she didn't know what. They were talking to very specific people, and left within a few hours, supposedly because there was no information to be had. I think they got the information they needed and left earlier than expected." 

Ignis took a sip of his coffee and tapped his fingers on the cupboard while he processed this information. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

"I agree with you. I think they found what they were looking for and left. They're not known to just leave when they can't get what they want. That's how people died last time." 

Ignis set his cup down and folded his arms. "Did Cindy have anything else to add besides just seeing the ships Prom?" 

"Oh yeah…” Prompto said quietly. “It looks like they're coming from Insomnia again..." 

Prompto looked up at Ignis while he played with the hem of his jacket. “She didn’t sound overly worried, but we all know how well she is at hiding her emotions. Hammerhead is the closest outpost to Insomnia, if something were to happen to it…” 

Prompto trailed off, never finishing his sentence, but they all knew what he was thinking. 

“I know.” Ignis sighed, before he looked at Gladio. “What did Wiz have to say?”

Gladio shrugged. 

"Not much to be honest. The beasts and monsters are a bit more riled up which makes the birds a little more on edge. Some have gotten a little more brave and come closer to his post at night, even with the lights on, so that has him worried. Outside of that, and Noct coming through a few weeks ago, he didn't have much else to say."

Ignis’s shoulders dropped a little. They had very little to go off of. Go to Lestallum to gather information and check on Iris, or go to Hammerhead. As they sat there mulling over the information, a soft whooshing noise came from the bedroom.

"Go to Hammerhead. He left something for you there." 

The three of them jumped, and saw Gentiana standing in the small hallway in the trailer. 

"Gentiana!" Ignis exclaimed. 

A sudden rush of relief, and hope, ran through him seeing her standing there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tender moments between Prompto and Gladio <3.
> 
> A wild Gentiana appears. Is "he" Noct? What was left there? Is it for all three of them, or just Ignis?


	6. So Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^.^ Hello!  
> I'm really enjoying where the story is taking off too, though I will admit, I was a little distracted during this chapter. If you read it and go "uh wtf?" because it doesn't make sense grammatically, doesn't seem to flow, or just doesn't seem to make sense at all, please let me know. I'd rather get it fixed, than have people continue to read it and not like it.
> 
> I'd also like to know what everyone thinks in general! Don't be afraid to comment. I don't bite... I just lick and glitter xD.

They all stood in shock as they stared at her before Ignis spoke up.

"What do you mean he left something for me there? And how are you here? Why?" So many questions were coming to Ignis’s mind and he wanted to ask them all. 

Gentiana held up her hand; "I do not know what he left. I am here of my own accord because I knew you needed guidance, and King Noctis will soon need your help, whether he's willing to admit it or not." She said softly. Ignis froze and replayed what she said in his head. 

_‘King Noctis will soon need your help, whether he's willing to admit it or not.’_

He. Was. Alive. 

Ignis choked back a sob. "He's alive?" 

Gentiana smiled gently. "Yes. He has done very well to stay out of sight, and stay hidden. I do not know when you will cross paths again, or if you ever will, but there are things you can do for him that will set things into motion, and will help keep him safe." 

Prompto whooped in excitement, and Gladio sigh in relief before standing up and walking closer to her. 

"What do we need to do, and when do we need to do it?" 

Always straight to business with him. Ignis smirked, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted on his shoulders even though a new one was replacing it. 

"Drive to Hammerhead. Cindy can conceal the Regalia better than Wiz, and from there you can travel by foot, or rent the chocobos. Cindy has upgrades for the car that will help you later, and is holding on to what Noctis left behind. You will figure out where you need to go from there. I can say no more, nor stay any longer. Good luck." 

She vanished, leaving them in silence. They had gotten the answer they had been searching for; Noct was alive. 

"He's alive." Ignis whispered. He felt a renewed fire lit within him to make sure he kept Noct safe.

Prompto slapped his hands together excitedly. "Well, that settles it. We're on our way to Hammerhead. Aww yeah!"

Gladio remained quiet. 

"Gladio?" Prompto questioned him softly. 

Gladiolus turned towards them and grinned. "I love a challenge. Let’s pack up and head out!" 

The morning became a blur once they got into motion. Gladio trucked their belongings back to the car, while Ignis spoke with Wiz to see if he had any other information he could provide them with, and Prompto feeding and loving on the Chocobos before they left. 

“I wish I could help you out more, but there’s not much else going on here that may help you elsewhere, Ignis.” Wiz shrugged. 

Ignis nodded. “I know. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. It truly has helped. I hope we will get to come back soon.” 

Wiz smiled, and patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you for all that you’re doing. I don’t think we’d be as safe as we are without you.” 

“It’s what we do. The king protects his people, and we protect the king, therefore, we protect the people. I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.” Ignis paused for a moment and looked Wiz in the eye. “Without people like you believing in us though, I don’t know if we would have gotten as far as we have.”

Wiz chuckled “Nah, don’t mention it. Though it looks like Gladio and Prompto are ready to go, so you best be off. Be safe.” 

Ignis turned to see Gladio and Prompto chatting next to the car and smiled. “So they are. Take care, Wiz.” he shook the other man’s hand before walking to the car.

Ignis felt a little giddy, although he wasn’t entirely sure why. He knew Noct would not have stayed in Hammerhead and waited for them, especially if things are as dire as they seem. Noct would be off figuring out how to fix things, gaining information, but a small part of Ignis hoped that whatever was left behind for them would lead him back into Nocts arms. 

As Ignis got closer to the car, he heard playful banter between Prompto and Gladio. 

“No way dude. No, nope. You’re wrong!” Prompto turned away from Gladio, folded his arms and pouted. 

Gladio snorted and rolled his eyes as Ignis walked up. “Well, then let’s ask Ignis.”

“Ask me what, exactly?” Ignis tilted his head to the side, and cocked an eyebrow at them. 

“Last time we were here, Noct said my hair looked like a chocobo butt! And Gladio brought it up again! It does not look like a chocobo butt!” Prompto whined, the frown on his face making him look more boyish than adult. 

Ignis stifled a laugh and composed himself. “Well… If you really want my opinion.." He paused for a moment and saw Gladio grin at him. "I think it could resemble one, yes. But take comfort in the fact that only you could pull off that hair style and make it look both professional and adorable at the same time.” 

Prompto’s face flushed at the compliment as he tried to stay pouting. He glanced over at Ignis who was smiling warmly at him. “Aww... Iggy, you’re supposed to be on my side…” He sniffed, “But… You think I’m adorable?” 

Gladio sighed dramatically and wrapped his arms around Prompto from behind. “Who wouldn’t think you’re adorable, ‘To? I wouldn’t want you to change for the world, even if it means you have chocobo butt hair.” 

Not able to hold his laughter back any longer, Ignis snickered and soaked in the loving picture before him. “He’s right, Prom. It’s what makes you, you.” He sighed softly “Though I hate to break this up, we really should be going.”

With a collective sigh, Prompto and Gladio pulled away from each other, and they all climbed into the car.

"I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I'm a little worried we may run into trouble on the way there with recent events unfolding. The Regalia sticks out against the older models that are on the roads." Ignis mused as he turned back onto the main road towards Hammerhead. 

Prompto rubbed his chin, and then shrugged "True, but we've been driving around all this time, and always handled any issues when they popped up." 

Ignis furrowed his brow, "But we had four people before. We don't know what these new Magitek will have in store for us when we inevitably run into them." 

Gladiolus snorted from behind his book in the back seat. 

"Have something to add, do you?" Ignis said, raising one eyebrow and looking at him in the rear view mirror. 

He lowered his book and looked at Ignis in the mirror. "You worry too much. If we run into them, we'll take care of them, like we've done everything else that's been in our way since Noct left." 

Prompto nodded, and grinned, "He's right, you know." 

Ignis rolled his eyes before shifting his grip on the steering wheel and speeding up. "Yes, I know. Though at this rate, we will be there in about thirty minutes, given nothing slows us down. Perhaps we should call Cindy, let her know we're coming, and that we have some things we need to talk with her about?" 

Prompto sat up in his seat, his face lit up as he excitedly spit out "Oh, Oh! I'll call her!" all while pulling out his phone and finding her name to call. 

Gladio snickered into his book. Ignis just shook his head. 

"Hey, Cindy? Haha, yep, that's me! Hey, we're heading your direction, wanting to give you a heads up." Prompto nodded his head as he listened "She's running beautifully. We actually need to talk to you about her...... Oh new upgrades? You don't say." 

Ignis chuckled to himself at the fake surprise in Prompto’s voice.

"Yeah, and we need to talk about some other stuff.....Sounds great. We should be there in about thirty minutes give or take, see you soon!" He hung up, and had a dreamy look across his face. "Oh that Cindy.... Oh.. uh yeah. She said she'll be waiting for us so we can talk about everything." Ignis looked over at him and nodded, before speeding down the highway.

___________________________________________________________________________

They made it to Hammerhead with no issues. As they were pulling in, Cindy waved them over to park in front of the garage. Ignis shut off the ignition and they all got out of the car and stretched.

"Hey Y'all, glad you made it here safely! I know you said she’s runnin’ fine, but I’d still like to look her over before I put the upgrades on her!" 

Prompto grinned and practically bounced over to her. “Oooh, upgrades? What kind of upgrades are we talking about?”

“Got some brighter headlights that will keep the daemons away while you’re driving at night, and a nice fuel booster.” She folded her arms and took a good look at the car.

Prompto whistled in response. “Those will definitely come in handy.” 

“Most definitely! Anyway, we can get to car talk later. I hope the trip here was good?" She grinned at Prompto before looking over at Ignis and Gladio.

"Indeed it was. Clear skies, and for the most part, clear roads. We did see a ship off in the distance but it wasn't coming our direction. Ran into no beast crossings. For once, everything has seemingly gone smoothly." Ignis replied, folding his arms. 

"I'm glad we got here before dark though, the daemons seem to be getting stronger, and I don’t think any of us are in the mood for fighting. Though with those new headlights, I don’t think they will post much of a problem." Gladio mused.

Cindy put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight from her left leg to her right. "Hmm, you're not the first person to mention that about the daemons, though the beasts around here have been acting very unusual as well. Coming real close to the outpost, but not close enough to do any harm, the lights still scare them off at night." 

Ignis and Gladiolus shared a dark look. 

Cindy looked between them, puzzled. "What's with the look boys?" 

Gladiolus rubbed his chin and stared off into the distance "It's just that Wiz at the chocobo post told us the same thing. The monsters were getting closer to his outpost." He looked back at the group. "None of this was happening near Cape Caem, or the Rock of Ravatogh. I'm worried that the army is doing something to cause the beasts to act this way, and it's slowly spreading across the land." 

Ignis furrowed his brow as Cindy tapped her foot. "Those damn Imperials. They keep ruining everythin’. Well, for now there's no sense getting all worked up. Let's sit down, eat and catch up."  


___________________________________________________________________________

After a few hours of laughter, good food and company, the four of them sat outside of the trailer around a fit pit. 

Prompto stretched out his legs and almost slid out of his chair. “Ooohhhhhh. I’m stuffed. I could fall asleep right here.” he sighed happily and closed his eyes.

"If you fall asleep there, I'm not going to pick you up and take you inside. You're on your own." Gladio warned him, in which Prompto just shrugged and grinned.

Ignis shook his head at the ridiculous sight and turned towards Cindy.

"Thank you Cindy, aside from Wiz's food last night, this was the best evening we've had in a very long time." Ignis smiled and lifted his glass to her before taking a long drink. 

"Aww heck guys, I'm so glad you're here. It's been gettin' scary out there and I worry. I wish I had more to tell y'all than what I already did. The ships are more frequent, and the monsters are getting closer, but we haven't seen any actual troops land near here. Your best bet is to talk to Dave and the hunters. Last I heard, he went up to the Prairie Outpost again because someone, or thing, sabotaged their lights and they were having problems with the beasts and daemons." 

Ignis couldn’t hide the shock that spread across his face. "That is most concerning, but we may be able to provide assistance. We’ll call him tomorrow to see what we can help with." He sighed. 

_‘No rest for the wicked’_ he thought to himself.

Cindy nodded and looked sad. "It is. No one's been seriously hurt or killed, but it leaves a person on edge." 

They all sighed and sat in silence while the fire crackled and popped. Prompto sat up and poked the fire with a stick before yawning. 

"Well, I shouldn't keep you boys up too much longer. Stay as long as you need before you head out." Cindy grinned and hopped up from her chair and began to pick up the dishes from their meal. 

"Here, let me help you with that, please." Ignis grabbed some of the plates from the ground. "You two can get ready for bed, I will be back in a few." 

“Yeah, okay." Prompto said as he stood up, yawning again while he stretched, scratching his sides before Gladiolus popped him in the stomach. "Ohh dude! What the hell?" 

"Ha! Left yourself open." Gladiolus laughed and danced out of Prompto's reach. Ignis smiled, shook his head, and picked up the last plate before following Cindy back to the diner. 

"I'm glad you're helping me, I actually have something for you from King Noctis." she said softly. 

"You.. do?" Although already aware of that knowledge, it still made his heart skip a beat when she actually said it. 

"Yeah, let's put these in the kitchen. I'll take you to it. He didn't really leave any instructions except for me to give it to you personally, so I don't know if it's for your eyes only, or what. It’s in the adjoining building to the garage.”

He nodded, held open the door for her as they entered the kitchen, placed the dirty dishes in the sink, and exited in silence.

Ignis was hesitant on asking anything, but he needed to know. "How… How did he look?" 

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Tired. Like he had seen too much, or hadn't taken a break in a long while. He's still as stubborn as ever though. I offered to let him stay here, but he said he couldn't do that. Dropped off what he had for you, replenished some supplies and he was off. He also paid for a few nights in the trailer though, probably anticipating your arrival." 

He smiled at the sound of that. "Yes. That sounds like him." 

They walked in silence for a few steps. 

"How are you, Ignis?" 

He stopped for a moment, his gaze towards the ground. How was he exactly? He wasn’t entirely sure himself. "I'm... Here." 

He looked up at Cindy who had stopped a few paces ahead of him. "When he left, I felt like my world imploded on itself. It left me shattered. Gladio and Prom have been so good to me during this time, following me wherever I thought we could find him. I don’t think I would be here without them." He caught up with her and they continued to walk. 

She reached out and squeezed his arm sympathetically. "I know..." 

They walked in silence again as they made their way to the garage, leaving Ignis to wrap himself up in his thoughts. 

_‘What could he have left behind?’_

_‘Where is he now?’_

_‘Could we catch up with him?’_

_‘Is he really alive?’_

He knew thinking of these was pointless and would only leave him aching, but he couldn’t help himself. He was so close, yet still so far away. Not realizing they had made it to the garage, he bumped into Cindy as she was unlocking the door. 

“Oh! I’m terribly sorry Cindy. I was lost in thought and not paying attention.”

She smiled at him as she opened the door. "It’s okay, I completely understand being lost in thought. Paw paw get's on me sometimes when he notices a dazed look on my face. I'll be right back though, I hid what he brought so no one else would find it. Wait here." 

Ignis leaned against the Regalia, listening to the sounds of her boots walking away. He was tired and a small part of him wanted a break from everything, but he wasn't sure what normalcy would look like anymore, especially since Noct's been gone for a year now. How does one integrate themselves back into what society claims is a normal life? He glared at the floor and ground his teeth together in frustration.

"Ah, found it!" He heard Cindy call from the back room, and he composed himself as she came back carrying a shoe-sized box. 

She handed the box off to Ignis "Here you are. Still sealed. Take whatever time you need in here if you want to open it in private, and.." She pulled another key out of her pocket, setting it on top of the box. "You can give this back to me tomorrow, kay? Lock up when you're done. G'night!" She smiled, patted his shoulder, and left. 

Ignis had to force himself to remember how to breathe as he stood there, staring at the box in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New ambition, full bellies, another good night between them. 
> 
> And...
> 
> A box. What's inside the box?  
> Will it make Ignis cry again?


	7. Letters of hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Three day weekends meant more time to work on this, so here we are. I am loving where this is going, and I really hope everyone else is too. 
> 
> This chapter feel a little short, unfortunately due to how I had to split this and the next chapter. Don't fret, Chapter 8 will be out soon.
> 
> As always, I appreciate comments and kudos! Please let me know if there's anything weird/wonky. <3

_‘Just open it.’_

He thought to himself as his continued to stare down. He shook himself out of his daze, carefully moving the box so he could hold it against his body with one hand so he could grab the key and put it in his pocket. 

He was thankful that the Regalia was unlocked. He opened the left side passenger door and slid into the back seat, leaving the door propped open. His hands trembled as he pulled the tape off, before removing the lid. He closed his eyes as he set it on the seat next to him before opening them and looking down. 

On top sat a letter, with "Iggy" written across it in Noct's infamously messy handwriting, with two more letters underneath, for Prompto and Gladio. 

"The boys will be happy to have something from him." He mused out loud. 

He pulled them out and set them aside to find a cookbook that held some of their favorite recipes. He grinned and flipped through the first couple pages and noticed Noct had left a small note in the front.  
_‘Iggy, when we're reunited, let’s make the dessert on page 14, please?’_

He flipped to page fourteen, and glanced over it. “Kupoberry Cheesecake..." He said softly. It was a favorite of all of theirs, and knew it would mean a lot to him if it was made. The thought of them being all together again made his heart ache. Deciding to move on, he slid the book the box on his lap. 

Under the book sat a few trinkets. A chocobo charm for Prompto, a romance novel for Gladio, and a smaller box with I.S. scribbled on top. 

Ignis pulled the smaller box out, and opened it, revealing a white rose sitting inside. It wasn’t a normal white rose. He could tell Noct had infused magic within the petals so it wouldn’t wilt, or dry out. 

He lifted it to his nose and inhaled. It smelled like a divine rose from the old gardens at the citadel, but also like him. The musky, sweetness that lingered on his skin after a long day of battles and traveling. It was so overpowering he could have sworn Noct was sitting in the car with him. 

Ignis took another long breath and held it, picturing Noct sitting next to him, before he exhaled, and shakily put the rose back into the box before replacing everything else except for his letter. 

He looked at the letter and tried to steel himself for what could be waiting for him. He traced his name before flipping it over and opening it.

_‘Dearest Ignis,_

_I'm hoping you have been following a similar route as me and went to Wiz's first before coming to Hammerhead, if not this may be a little confusing. As of right now, Varen and I are safe. Cindy let us stay in the back building, which gave me time to write this and put everything together. It's not much, but when have I ever been known for giving extravagant gifts? I hope you all like them. Can't wait to try the dessert._

_Everything aside, I haven't seen much change in the army's behavior. They've dropped one or two sets of troops that I saw, but I didn't stay close enough to see what they were doing. They were randomly placed drops, and from what I could tell, there was no one near them. Cindy said the beasts were getting restless, and the daemons were getting worse. It's been that way everywhere I've gone since the army came back._

_I think the troops being dropped, the beasts and daemons are all related, but without you guys to back me up, I haven't gotten my hands on any of the new magitek they're using. That and Prom would be better at taking it apart than I am. Damn I miss fighting with you guys._

_I am heading towards the Insomnia blockade. I don't know if I will still be near there, or even in the area, when you read this, but you may have another lead by now to go there. I'm not entirely sure what I'm expecting to find there to be honest with you, but I hope there will be some answers. Though there will likely be more questions._

_I miss you Iggy... More than words could ever describe._

_I love you._

_Noct’_

He sat there in silence for a few minutes before realizing he had started to cry. He laughed at himself and smiled, not feeling as sad as he once did. There was still a weight on his shoulders that worried him, but he no longer felt as if his world was falling apart. 

Ready and a bit excited to give Prompto and Gladio their gifts, he gathered his things, locked up the garage and headed back to the trailer.

As he rounded the corner the wind picked up and he thought he heard a soft "kweh!" being carried on it. He froze and looked around. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw a flash light being turned off at the camp nearby. He squinted, but saw nothing, and knew it was too dangerous to head that direction alone. 

"I must be really tired to be hearing and seeing things." He shook his head and turned back towards the trailer. Prompto had peaked his head through the curtains and saw Ignis walking up, so he quickly opened the door. 

"Hey Iggy! How're things? What's that weird look for?" He held it open as Ignis walked up the steps and inside before closing and locking it behind them. 

"Hmm? Oh, they're good. Though I could have sworn I heard a chocobo and saw a flashlight being turned off before getting to the trailer. I'm also very tired, and the mind likes to play tricks when you desperately want something.” Ignis sighed before setting down the box. 

Prompto looked out the window again, "You don't think he could be out there, do you?” he turned back towards Ignis, looking eager.

Ignis shrugged. “He could be anywhere Prompto, but I don’t think he’s anywhere near us. I’m not as worried as I once was though. He left us all something.” he gestured to the box.

Prompto’s eyes lit up as he bounced over to the table.”Really?! What did he leave?" 

Ignis opened the box and began to piece together their things. "Here's your letter, and a chocobo charm." He handed them to Prompto who just grinned like a kid in a candy store. 

"Aw Yeah! Noct's gonna get a big hug from me when we see each other again." He went and sat down on the couch to put his charm on his belt, and read his letter. 

"And for you Gladio... " Ignis held the letter and novel over to him. 

"Hmm.. what's this? Wait.. No way! This is one that never made it overseas that I had been dying to read. Damn that Noct." He grinned knowing he would lose himself in the novel that night. 

Prompto, who had gotten to his letter first, and was becoming emotional. He set his letter down in his lap and played with his new charm. Ignis went and sat next to him, rubbing his back as he began to cry.

"I just... miss him.. And want him back in the group, you know?" Prompto sniffed and wiped the tears off his cheeks. 

"I do know. I have a feeling we will run into him soon, but we can’t focus our efforts directly into looking for him. There are other matters we have to tend to now." 

Gladio tossed his letter onto the table and folded his arms. "I'm with you Iggy. Noct’s letter didn't say much that I didn't already know, or gathered from what others have been saying. We just need to decide where to go from here. Meet up with Dave, or head to the blockade?" 

Ignis just stared at the floor. "I don’t know. Both trips would be beneficial.” He paused for a moment and looked between the two men. “Let’s sleep on it and discuss matters in the morning over a good, hearty breakfast."

Prompto sniffed again and nodded. Gladio just hummed and looked lost in thought. 

Ignis gave Prompto a side hug, squeezing his shoulders, before getting up and heading off to the bedroom at the back. As he was shutting the door, he heard Gladio get up, and caught a glimpse of him kneeling in front of Prompto, hugging him close whispering in his ear. 

He smiled to himself before he slipped off his shoes, took off his glasses and set them on the nightstand. He didn't realize just how tired he had become, and unceremoniously flopped onto the bed in his clothes to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did the contents of the box surprise you? Love my sappy boys. 
> 
> Where do you think they're going to go next? Talk to Dave, or go to the blockade?


	8. Point of Direction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Happy Friday guys!
> 
> I am really stoked that the next chapter came along smoothly, and I almost couldn't wait to post it. 
> 
> I'm really happy with where the story is going so far, but I would *really* like to hear from you guys. Comments are appreciated. <3

The next morning Ignis groaned as he rolled over. He knew better than to sleep in his day clothes, but he was too tired to care. He sat up, rubbed the back of his head and neck, and pushed himself off the bed to use the restroom, shower and start breakfast. 

As he exited the restroom feeling much more refreshed, he heard the snoring of Gladio, and saw he and Prompto all wrapped up together on the small couch bed. He smiled and took in the sight. It was nice to see them together, instead of dancing around each other, though he wondered how long they had managed to keep it from him. 

"Or perhaps you were so tied up in your own agenda, you failed to see it until now." He chided to himself and sighed.

As quietly as he could, he pulled out the coffee pot, and a few pans for breakfast. Thirty minutes later, he heard movement to his left. 

Prompto yawned and stretched. "Mmmm, mornin' Iggy." 

Ignis glanced over and smiled. "Good morning. Sleep well?" 

Prompto yawned overly loud a second time, smacking his lips. "Sure did. Breakfast woke me up though." He got up and walked the few steps to the stove, casually leaning his head against Ignis's shoulder, nuzzling it and sniffing the air. 

"Ugh, it smells so good. Gladio better wake up soon, or he's gonna miss out!" Prompto snuck a piece of bacon before Ignis could protest and hoisted himself up on the adjacent counter. 

"Prompto... May I ask you something?" Ignis said slowly. 

"Sure! What's up?" he managed to say between crunches.

"How long have you and Gladios been a thing? Have I just been oblivious to it?" He turned off the stove and slid the last of the eggs onto the plate before turning to face Prompto. 

Prompto just looked over at the sleeping mass and had a dreamy look on his face. "It's been a slow back and forth for a little over a year? It began before Noct left. Glances, soft touches." 

He turned to look at Ignis. "Then once Noct left, we got a little braver, leaving notes for each other, and then slowly opening up more when you would go on your walks, or if we stopped at an outpost and offered to buy supplies." 

He toyed with the last little bit of bacon between his fingers and looked down at his feet. "We're not official. I think we're both too scared to take that jump, I guess..." 

Ignis watched how deflated he became and his heart ached for him. "Take the jump. Because if something happens, you'll be full of regret… Trust me, it may be scary now, but it will get easier." 

Prompto looked up as Ignis closed the distance between them and hugged him "I'm happy for you two" he whispered in his ear softly. 

Ignis felt Prompto relax in his arms, before the other man looked up at him. “Thank you Iggy. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.” 

Ignis smiled back as he stepped away. “You both deserve happiness as much as anyone else, and I've slowly been seeing just how happy you both make each other.” 

“It doesn’t take a whole lot to make me happy, but knowing he loves me for who I am, and doesn’t want to change me? That’s pretty awesome.” Prompto grinned before turning and shaking his head at Gladio, who answered with a snorty snore. 

Ignis chuckled "Even while sleeping, he knows how to damper a mood. Do you want to wake him, or shall I?" 

Prompto giggled "You can, I need to pee." He hopped off and wandered to the bathroom. 

Ignis grabbed a glass half full of water, walked over to the sleeping lump and slowly started to pour it on him. 

"Hnngg... Huh.. Wha.. Oi!" He sat up wiping off the side of his face, and growled at Ignis. 

"Good morning sunshine." Ignis smirked, set down the glass and folded his arms. 

Prompto could be heard giggling through the bathroom door, which opened and he bounced out. "Aww! You don't like showers like that?" He grinned. 

"No. I prefer them hot, and not while I'm sleeping." Gladiolus groaned, stood up and rubbed his neck. 

"Breakfast is ready. We should eat and start discussing our plans on what we're going to do next." He received a grunt in response and moved so Gladio could walk past him. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Gladio wrapping his arm around Prompto’s waist and kissing the top of his head, before heading off to the bathroom. 

Prompto hummed happily as he fixed his plate, then started on Gladio’s before he came out of the restroom. 

“You know, I can fix my own plate, ‘To.” Gladio said from the hallway. 

Prompto just shrugged, finished the plate, before grabbing both and sitting down. “And? Just shut up and eat.”

Gladio chuckled and sat down next to Prompto, while Ignis fixed his plate so he could join them. 

They fell into a comfortable silence as they ate, before Gladio spoke up.

"I think talking to Dave may be more beneficial than going to the barricade, since we actually know where he is and what's going on. We don't know if Noct is still there. We could also be walking right into a trap." He said in between bites of bacon, unfortunately spraying them with tiny pieces. 

"Ugh, dude! Finish eating please before you start talking. I think I got a piece of bacon in my eye." Prompto complained and wiped off his face," But you do make a valid point." 

Ignis mulled around what he said. "Yes, I do believe you're right Gladio. There’s no sense running blindly into a situation when we have so little to go off of." 

Ignis picked up his plate to wash it up, when he noticed Cindy running over to the trailer. "Prom, get the door would you? Cindy is running over." 

"Hrmr? Ciny?" He mumbled with a mouthful of food as he got up to open the door. 

Cindy slowed down as she got closer. "Hey boys, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" She said through the screen door.

Prompto grinned as he opened it for her "Nah! We're just eatin' breakfast, trying to figure out what we're gonna do next. Probably talk to Dave." 

She came inside and put her right hand on her hip. "Well, funny thing you mention him, I just got a call. There's a huge mark that needs to be taken care of and he was hopin' you boys were around. Dunno why he didn't call you first, but I'd give him a ring. It sounds pretty serious." she looked concerned, knowing that they would agree to help take it out. 

"Well boys, looks like we know what we're doing!" Gladio grinned, Prompto wooped.

Ignis nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his companions. "Thank you Cindy for letting us know. I will call him shortly and get the details." 

She grinned "Good. Let me know when y'all head out, kay?" There were nods and uh huhs said as she waved bye and left the trailer. 

"You two finish up, and please wash the dishes. I am going to call Dave and get the details." Ignis said as he exited the trailer as well, closing the door behind him. Pulling out his phone he found Dave's number and hit call.

Ring. 

Ring. 

Ring. 

_"Hey Ignis, I was hoping you'd call."_

"Good morning Dave. I hear there's a mark you need eliminated."

_"Ah yeah. We've been tracking this beast for a while, and just got wind that it's a lot bigger than we thought. Our more experienced hunters are doing work in the Vesper Pool, and they won’t be back down here for at least another week or so. We can't afford to wait that long. You up for the challenge?"_

Ignis smirked "We're always up for the challenge. Where are we headed?" 

_"I knew I could count on you. There's an enclosed pit a little north-west of Hammerhead that it's taken residency in for now. It’s hard to spot until you’re right on top of it. We’re thinking that it’s a Bandersnatch, but we’re not one hundred percent sure. It keeps getting closer to outposts, so we need it dealt with as soon as possible. I wish I could give you more info or lend some of my men to help. Bounty is large, fifty thousand gil."_

Ignis furrowed his brow, for that large sum it must be a tough beast. "The information you’ve given is enough to find the beast. We will assess the situation when we get there." He paused for a moment. "Though, we were actually going to head up your way. Cindy said the Prairie Outpost has been having issues."

Dave chuckled on the other end. _"Yeah, it was. The lights were sabotaged which meant the daemons and beasts were running through at night. No one was seriously hurt, but it was a scary situation. We finally managed to get all the lights and fences fixed up though. The beasts still get a little close, but the daemons stopped bothering us at night. That was our main concern.”_

Dave paused, and sighed. _“Anyway, there are still a few things I need to help with before I head back to Meldacio. You take care. Hope to hear from you soon."_

"You and I both."

Click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio and Prompto just melt my heart. 
> 
> Do you think they'll be able to handle the hunt?
> 
> Are they getting closer to Noct?


	9. The Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! Another chapter? Why yes. I'm impatient as fuck :P. 
> 
> Comments are much appreciated! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Ignis sighed. If it's as big as Dave says it is, they may not be a match for it without a fourth person. "No matter." He said to himself before turning around to head back inside when he heard Prompto whine from the other side. 

"Noooo, my hair!" 

"I can't help it. You're just so... cute." Gladio said softly. 

Ignis waited a beat before audibly grabbing onto the handle and coming in to see Prompto sitting on the floor with soap bubbles sitting on top of his head and Gladio grinning. 

"Come now boys, let us act our age shall we?" Ignis chided in good fun and smiled at them as Gladio handed Prompto a rag to wipe the bubbles from his hair. 

"Bah, my hair’s all ruined…” Prompto sighed as he dried his hair “Anyway, what's the verdict, Specs?" 

"Well, good news is we have a mark. Fifty thousand gil. The bad news is that they aren’t exactly sure what it is we’re up against, but Dave believes it’s a Bandersnatch.” he paused for a moment to lean against the counter. 

“It's north west of here in an enclosure. I believe I know exactly where it's at. There's a small spring that's tucked away that would be the perfect spot for a beast that large to move too. There's a high ground, and an entrance off to the west." 

Ignis folded his left arm across his chest and tapped his chin with his right hand. "If I'm being honest, I am a little nervous. We've never taken down a mark this size with only three people. We will have to know when to retreat if it's needed. I don't need either of you dying on me." 

Prompto quickly stood up. "I just got more ammo for my gun, and I found some of the last blizzara flasks in the trunk. Those could definitely come in handy, especially if I was to throw them down first before either of you jumped down!" 

Gladio stroked his chin, "Iggy, we got this. We’ll be fine.” He smirked at Prompto, "That's actually a good plan ‘To. There's actually something in that head of yours, isn't there." 

“Dude, low blow! I happen to have lots of somethings in my head all the time.” Prompto stuck his tongue out at Gladio before turning to Ignis. “So? When do we head out?" 

"The sooner the better, it’s going to take us a while on foot. I’d rather not rent the chocobos."

___________________________________________________________________________

After cleaning up the trailer and stocking up with a few potions, they met back up with Cindy. 

“Hey y’all. I heard you called Dave and he has a hunt for ya. Are you heading out?” 

“Indeed. We stopped by to let you know we’re leaving and likely will not be back tonight. I know there’s a haven near where we’re going, so we will make camp there.” 

If she was overly worried, she didn’t show it. “Alright boys. You best make it back, you hear?” 

They waved her off and headed out on foot. 

“Be alert. There isn’t much out here except Sabertusks, but they travel in packs and are quick.” Ignis told the others. 

They just rolled their eyes at him. It wasn’t their first time in this part of the desert, and likely wouldn’t be the last. They knew what to expect, for the most part. 

It was only nine in the morning, but they all were starting to sweat. 

“Ah man it’s already super hot and there’s like, no wind today. My hair’s gonna frizz, especially after the bubble bath it received this morning.” Prompto whined. 

“You know there are worse things to worry about than your hair, like that big rock you’re going to trip over.” Gladio pointed out. 

Sure enough, Prompto tripped right over it with an audible “Oof!” 

Ignis just raised an eyebrow and shook his head as Prompto got up off the ground and brushed himself off. 

“I’m okay!” Prompto grinned, and they continued onward.

“Please be more careful, Prom?” Ignis said. Prompto just shrugged. 

___________________________________________________________________________

The day wore on. They fought two larger packs of Sabertusks, and were now coming across a lone hornet. 

“Uhh guys? How about you take this one on, I uhh.. Gotta.. Go over here.” Prompto said nervously. 

“No way, pal. You’re the best bet we have at taking it down. I’m fast, but not that fast, and while Iggy can pull some fast moves, you’re the only one who can shoot it while it’s up high since none of us can warp like Noct.” Gladiolus almost growled at Prompto as his greatsword materialized in preparation of battle. 

Prompto whined, but readied his gun and stood on the outskirts of the circle they had made. The hornet was fast, but seemed a little disoriented so it’s attacks were sloppy. Ignis managed three hits, while Gladiolus got one good one, and Prompto finished it off. 

Their weapons faded back into the Armiger and they stopped to catch their breath. 

“I hope there’s nothing else between now and the big beast. I’d like to be at my best to take it on.” Gladiolus complained while he rubbed his neck. 

“Tsk” Ignis replied, stretched his arms, and waved them forward and they began walking again. 

“Lucky for you, you’re going to get what you want. See there?” He pointed off to the right. “Where it seems to do a dip, and then raises up?” 

Prompto squinted and then got excited. “Oh! Oh! Yep, I see it. Super close! We got this now dudes. But wait, hold on…” he fished out his camera, and forced them to stop and get into the frame to take a picture. “Ahh yeah! I love getting pictures before big battles. Thanks!” 

Gladio grunted, but smiled. Ignis snickered. 

“What’s our plan of attack then, Specs?” Gladio asked as he scoped out the area. 

“We get as close to the top opening as possible to see what we’re dealing with first. We may have the advantage of having Prompto stay above and distract it while we either hop down or go around and attack from behind. Stay quiet.” Ignis hissed as they got closer. 

With each step they took, the ground felt like it was shaking. Ignis wouldn’t say anything out loud, but his heart was racing. Though with years of training he was able to wear a calm mask. 

He noticed Gladiolus wore the same mask and wondered if he also was worried. Prompto on the other hand did not hide his emotions as well. He was fidgety, his face as serious as he could hold it, but Ignis knew he was nervous. They inched closer to the edge and heard rumbling, and then a low roar. They got within range of seeing the beast and they all froze. 

“It’s huge…” Prompto said quietly. 

Gladio’s face grew dark. “Damn… That’s definitely a Bandersnatch, but I’ve never seen one that big before.”

The beast had to have been at least 60 feet tall, if not more. Massive in size. Claws that could rip buildings and cars in half, and teeth that showed no mercy. It had a tail that was equally as dangerous. 

“So… Thoughts Iggy?” Prompto asked and looked over at him. If Ignis was worried, he wasn’t showing it. 

“It looks too heavy and it’s back legs too short to jump too high. I think you distracting it will be our best bet at first. Give a few nice shots before throwing a blizarra flask. It won’t be as potent as any lightning one, but it will help. As soon as it’s attention is fully over here, Gladio and I will rush in from that opening and attack from the rear,” he pointed off to the left. 

Ignis looked over the area before continuing “It’s not going to be an easy fight, but I think if you stay up here, and we are down there we will be fine. If you’ve noticed, there are no signs of other beasts around and I think it’s due to that one down there.” 

They heard a snort, and then the ground rumbled as it made a howling noise. Prompto flipped his hand and his gun appeared. 

“Let’s do this boys.” He grinned, took aim at the back of the beasts head, and fired. 

It roared, and flipped around a little faster than they expected. 

Gladio gasped. “Iggy, it moves faster than I would have thought.” 

Ignis gave Gladio an unamused look “I have eyes you know. I saw. It just means we have to be quicker on our feet.” 

Gladio snorted and rolled his eyes as Prompto waved them off as he fired a few more shots. “Heeeyyyy beastie! I’m up here! Don’t like that? Aww poor thing.” He taunted the beast to get closer, and as Ignis had expected, it could not jump high enough to jump out. 

Ignis and Gladio heard a few more shots and more taunts as they made their way down to the opening. As soon as Prompto saw them, he threw the flask. The area slowly began to freeze over and the beast slowed. 

“Yes!” Gladio grinned and rushed forward, his great sword materializing and he swung at the beasts back haunches. Ignis ran in quick with his daggers, making quick stabs around the knees, hopping back when he saw the beast begin to regain his movement. Prompto continued to fire at him to keep the beasts attention divided between the two groups. 

Suddenly Prompto yelled. “Guys we have a problem!!!” As a pack of Sabertusks rushed him. 

He wouldn’t be able to fight them both off, and they couldn’t afford to have the pack and the Bandersnatch in the area at the same time. 

“Shit. Iggy! What do we do?!” Gladio yelled. 

Ignis looked between both groups as he calculated the risks. “Prompto, take them out! We cannot afford to have them down here with us. We’ll manage until they’re gone.” 

“You got it!” was heard over shots being fired at the other beasts. 

Gladio braced himself as the larger beast swung around and attempted to swipe at him. With the downswing, he managed to break off one of the claws, causing the beast to howl louder. Ignis hopped onto a rock to gain better leverage before pushing off, daggers ready, to slice into its side.

“IGGY, WATCH OUT!!” Gladio screamed. 

A Sabertusk had managed to launche itself over Prompto and towards Ignis. With little time to think, he turned himself towards the smaller beast as it made contact, stabbing it in the side, but not before it latched onto his arm. He yelled as they both went down. The Bandersnatch took this opportunity to flip around and swiped in the air, hitting them both to the ground and trapping them under it’s claws. 

The Sabertusk died on contact, and Ignis struggled to stay conscious. Pain radiated throughout his body, and above him he could see the black eyes of the beast, filled with anger and hunger. 

His head was swimming, as yells and screams from his companions filled the air. 

“I’m sorry, Noct…” he whispered. 

As the world around him began to go black, he could have sworn he heard a faint “kweh!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's going to happen to Ignis? Are we going to lose our beloved, spectacle wearing, proper boy?


	10. The Dust Settles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday the 13th!! ^_^
> 
> I'm trying to keep a schedule going, Monday's and Friday's seem to work best for posting. I hope I can keep it up, or at least keep one of them up. 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me this far!!

Ignis slowly realized he was laying on something soft, but not a bed. Everything hurt. His head was swimming, which made his stomach churn. He wanted so badly to open his eyes, or move his arms but couldn’t seem to make anything function properly. He tried to frown, but didn’t know if he was successful or not.

_“....I wonder….”_  
_“... but Gladio..”_  
_“....I still....”_

He strained to hear more, but that was all he could somewhat make out before the blackness took him again.

\----------------------------------

“I still think we should have taken him to a doctor.” Gladio said softly.

“Dude, there was no way we would have made it back in time. We used as many potions as we could safely do so, now we just wait for his body to regain its strength.” Prompto sighed and looked over at the tent. “We’re safe. We’re on a haven. Nothing can touch us right now.” 

Gladio was now the next to sigh. “I know, I just don’t know what the extent of his injuries are. He’s always been the medic when it came to the serious stuff. I…” 

Prompto wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his chest. “Shh.. I know. I get it. It will be okay…” 

Gladio nuzzled his cheek against Prompto’s head. “Thank you, ‘To…”

Ignis was coming back around and heard talking outside, but still couldn't make out everything being said. He groaned and tried to move, but froze when he heard shuffling next to him, and then a tentative hand touching his. 

If Gladio and Prompto were outside then who was next to him. Cindy? No, the hand was too calloused, but familiar. He slowly opened his eyes, vision blurry, but there was no mistaking who was above him. 

“Noct!” He croaked and tried to sit up before crying out in pain and falling back to the ground. There was shuffling outside, but no one else came in. He was dead, that was the only way to explain this. His eyes started to burn from the tears, and he squeezed his hand over Noctis’s, and Noct squeezed back. 

“Shhh… I’m here.” Noct whispered, cupping his face with his free hand. 

Ignis’s eyes fluttered closed and he pressed into the hand. “Oh Noct…” and he let himself drift back into the darkness.

\----------------------------------

Ignis drifted in and out of consciousness for almost two days. In that time Noctis refused to say a word until Ignis was awake and alert enough to hear his story.

Noct feeling confident that Ignis wasn’t going to wake up without him there, walked out of the tent. His hair had gotten much longer, long enough to pull back into a messy ponytail. Stubble littered his cheeks, chin, and a little down his neck. He was a bit more tan than they had ever seen him, with dark circles under his eyes. 

Varen looked fairly well fed, and was excited to see the Gladio and Prompto. 

Prompto, while relieved and excited for Noctis to be back, was very excited to see Varen. 

“OOhh who’s a good chocobo? You are! Yes you are!” Prompto cooed and received a very happy “Kweh!” back. 

Gladio just snorted, but smiled lovingly at him before turning his attention to Noctis. 

“How is he?” He gestured towards the tent. 

Noct sighed. “He’s better. Another day and we should be able to safely move him back to Hammerhead.” 

Gladio hummed in response. 

While it was great to have him back, there was an awkward air. He had been gone for over a year, never leaving notes until recently. Never contacting anyone. No one knew if he was alive, and then he just shows up out of nowhere? Gladio admitted to himself that he was glad for the timing, had he been a few minutes later, all three of them could have died.

“I know you’re angry with me. I can sense it. I’ve known you too long not to know when you’re angry, Gladio…” Noctis turned to look at him. “I promise, I will explain everything, once Ignis is awake.” 

Gladio sighed. “I know, and I’m trying not to be but…” 

Noct stopped him. “You have every right to be.” 

Prompto walked back over with a big grin on his face, and he bumped Noct’s shoulder with his fist. 

“Aw, cut him some slack. Iggy almost died right in front of us. How would you feel if you came to help someone you loved, just to be almost too late?” Prompto cocked his head to the side and grinned, and Gladio melted a bit. 

A soft groan could be heard from the tent, and Noctis quickly turned around and went back inside.

\----------------------------------

Ignis was starting to come around again. He groaned, blinked a few times and slowly started to sit up.

“Iggy! Don’t!” He looked up to see Noct come in, panicked. He nearly collapsed before Nocts arms were holding him. 

“Noct. It’s you. I haven’t been dreaming. You’re really here…” wincing, he reached up to stroke the side of his face. “You look like you’ve been to hell and back.” 

Noct smiled and helped him sit the rest of the way up. “Yeah, well, you’ve definitely seen better days yourself.” He teased back before going quiet. 

They stared at each other, almost not believing that the other was with them. Ignis trying to memorize how he looked right then, in case he needed to leave again. 

Ignis opened his mouth to ask where he’d been, and Noct held up his hand to stop him. 

“I know, you have questions that need answered. Gladio and Prom have been hounding me for nearly two days now for them. I needed you awake before I talked.” 

Ignis furrowed his brow as he took in this information. Two days.. “Wait, I’ve been out for two days?! What?!” Ignis began to panic. 

Noct rubbed his shoulders “Shh. Calm down love. We will tell you everything that happened while you were in and out. Do you feel well enough to try to get out of the tent? From what I could tell nothing below your waist was broken. You did have a few broken ribs, and possibly your arm, but the potions should have helped heal those.” 

Ignis looked defeated. Two days? Did they retreat from the battle? How was any of this possible?

A snort from Noct brought him back from his thoughts. “Always the analyzer. I promise, you will get your answers.” 

Ignis smiled up at him and sighed. “Yes, you’re right. I’m not one hundred percent well enough, but I want out of this tent.” 

They heard a laugh from outside of the tent and Ignis rolled his eyes. Noct smiled, Ignis nodded, and they both slowly got off the ground. Ignis moaned in pain and gripped tightly to the arms wrapped around him. Once they were standing, he took a few long breaths to steady himself before it clicked in that Noct was holding him. 

When they’re both bare footed, Ignis stands an inch taller than Noct. But today, with Ignis bare foot, and Noct in his boots, they could see eye to eye. His eyes looked more grey than blue, and looked like they had seen more than they ever wanted too in his lifetime. Without saying a word, Ignis wrapped his own around him and burying his face in his neck. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. 

Noct tightened his arms around Ignis. “Oh Iggy… I’m so sorry…” He whispered, which made them both shiver. 

Ignis kissed his neck softly before pulling away to look at him again. “It’s okay. You’re here again, for now, and that’s all that matters. Let’s go outside, so we can discuss what happened after I lost consciousness.” Noct nodded, and with one arm tightly wrapped around his waist, they slowly exited the tent. 

Ignis used his hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun, squinted and blinked a few times until he got used to it, and then looked around. They had set up everything like normal, even cooked for themselves, and cleaned up afterwards, while he was out. He was impressed. 

He then looked over Prompto and Gladio and gasped. Prompto’s arm was a light pink, suggesting he had been attacked at some point, and Gladio had a gash across his chest. 

“Don’t. Do not even go there Iggy. You. Almost. Died. Literally.” Gladio folded his arms and gave him “the look” that tells him he’s not in charge of what’s going on right now. 

Ignis grumbled “Fine… Then tell me what happened. The last thing I can remember was staring into the mouth of the beast with the sabertusk on top of me… and…” there was a soft “kweh” from beside him. 

Varen had slowly walked over and nudged him. “I did hear you then.” Ignis rubbed Varen’s neck before the bird laid down. 

“He’s been sleeping on the side of the tent where you’ve been lying inside, I think protecting you.” Noct said, gently rubbing Ignis’s arm. 

“You sweet bird…” Ignis continued to stroke the bird and smiled. “Anyway. That’s all I remember before it went black. What happened?” he paused for a moment to rub the bridge of his nose “And where are my glasses?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOOOOCCCCTTT!!!!! He's back! But for how long? Who cares, he's back.


	11. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> After some helpful comments from OwlyMerlin, this chapter ended up longer than anticipated. Where I had originally had it end made it feel incomplete compared to previous chapters. 
> 
> It's a nice filler "episode".
> 
> Enjoy!

Ignis looked between everyone as they stood in an uncomfortable silence around the fire pit. Prompto poking at the contents in the pit, sighed before looking up at Ignis.

“I couldn’t kill all the Sabertusks, there were at least 10. It’s like they knew what we were going to do, and chose this time to attack. I got about half down when one launched itself over me, and found you. One caught my arm, and I lost my balance and fell over the edge.”

Prompto paused and chewed on his bottom lip nervously. “Gladio managed to help stop me from falling on my head, but the Sabertusks followed. We had to take them out before we could get to you. The bandersnatch knew what we were trying to do though, because it kicked backwards and snagged Gladio in the chest. That’s when we heard the chocobo!” 

Prompto smiled sadly as he rubbed the back of his neck before looking up at Gladio. 

Gladio rubbed Prompto’s shoulder supportively. “Yeah… The noise distracted the beast for a moment. It was just enough though that Noct was able to jump and slash down its back. He forgot all about you and reared up, trying to get Noct off. That’s when Prompto ran over and pulled you aside next to the mountain and threw a potion on you before returning to the fight. Varen flew in and pecked at it a few times before ultimately sitting near by to protect you.” 

Gladio sighed “I think between you falling, being under the claw and Prompto moving you, your glasses are long gone.” 

Gladio ran his hand through his hair. “It was rough. Noct seemed a bit slower than normal, but managed to keep up. His phase step was truly helpful, but it still took us about an hour and a half to wear it down enough so Noct could use the royal arms to finish it off.” 

Gladio took a deep breath and brought his gaze back to the group. “Though if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he wasn’t really in any shape to be fighting like that.”

Ignis turned and looked at Noct, who simply shrugged. 

“What? I thought I saw the person I love die. I did what I had to do. Wouldn’t you?” Noct questioned. 

Ignis opened his mouth, and then closed it. He would have done the same if their roles had been reversed, and he knew it. He turned back to Gladio.

“As soon as it was done, Noct told one of us to call Dave, tell him it was dead, where to find it, and collect the body soon, while he ran over to you and Varen.” Gladio got quiet. “We didn’t think we’d make it back to Hammerhead, so we used as many potions as we could do so safely, set up camp, and…” he gestured to the area “Here we are.” 

“Mmmm…” was all Ignis could say, and he looked back to Noct. “Will you help me sit down please?” 

“Oh shit, yeah.” Noct and Ignis walked slowly to one of the fold out chairs, he groaned as he lowered himself into it and tried to stretch out. 

“I don’t blame you, Prompto. You were severely outnumbered, so to take down as many as you did is a feat.” Prompto smiled shyly at Ignis, his cheeks flushed. 

Ignis turned his attention to Noct, who had stepped aside next to the camp stove. “Now.. lastly, how exactly did you know we would be there?” 

Noct rubbed the back of his neck, and got that ‘you’re going to be mad at me’ grin on his face. “I’m the one who told Dave to contact you for the hunt. We stayed in touch as I needed money at times, and he had hunts that I could easily do on my own. He was true to his word that he never told anyone that he knew where I was.” 

“DUDE! What?! What the hell man!” Prompto yelled. 

Ignis glared and Gladio punched him in the shoulder. 

“Ow.. Okay, maybe I deserved that. No.. I definitely deserved that, but you can kill me later.” He rubbed his shoulder and looked at the ground. 

“I knew you would either go after the mark, or go to the barricade. There was no sense in going up to the Prairie outpost anymore since you had just talked to Dave. So we waited in the mountains, in a spot that no one would have seen us with the naked eye, but I could see just enough to know if it was you or not. And once I saw you three moving towards the Bandersnatch instead of going east, we moved closer and watched.” 

A flash of pain crossed Noct’s face “I thought you guys had it. He had scared most of the other beasts away, so I’m not sure why that pack of Sabertusks attacked when they did.” He looked at Ignis and gulped. 

“When I saw you go down… I… I felt like I couldn’t breath. To finally come back, to get so close, and then to watch you die in front of my eyes” He stepped forward before falling to his knees in front of Ignis, placing his hands on Ignis’s knees. 

“I couldn’t let Gladio and Prom die either, so we flew down. I had no idea if you were still alive, I just attacked. And kept attacking. It wasn’t until I picked you up and got onto Varen that I knew you were still breathing. I…” he stopped and put his head into Ignis’s lap. 

“Shhh…” Ignis whispered and pulled out his hair from the ponytail to run his fingers through it. “We’re back together, for now. We can pick up the pieces and go from there.” Ignis looked up between Gladio and Prom, who in the midst of Noct’s emotional breakdown, had linked their hands together, unsure of what to do next. 

Noct looked up, looking twice his age, and extremely tired. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long. I’m sorry I couldn’t leave anything behind. I couldn’t call you. I couldn’t tell anyone anything that could get back to you… I fully expected you to hate me, to not want to speak to me, or…” 

He started to get choked up and Ignis leaned as forward as he could without causing himself too much pain, and pulled Noct up to him. 

“Shut. Up.” Ignis said and kissed him. 

It wasn’t tender or soft. It was fierce, full of anger, regret, fear, hope and love. He kissed Noct hard, gripping the front of his jacket as tight as he could for fear he wasn’t actually there. As he pulled away, his eyes burned with tears threatening to spill over. 

“I love you. Part of that came through my job as your advisor, and protector. As those things, I knew you had to leave. Knowing didn’t make it any easier, never hearing from you made it worse, and not knowing if you’re going to leave again is absolutely killing me. To finally have you back, just to have you leave again...” 

Ignis went quiet and loosened his grip on the jacket, but kept looking into those dark blue eyes that looked like pools of water at midnight. Noct reached up and wrapped his hands around Ignis’s.

“I’m not going anywhere. Promise.” He squeezed them, then gently intertwined his fingers with Ignis’s pulling them off his jacket. “We have an empire to take down again, and I can’t do it alone.” He smiled at Ignis, then turned and grinned at Gladio and Prompto. 

“Aww hell yeah! We’re back together boys! Just like old times!” Prompto thrust his fist into the air and jumped up and down, while Gladio grinned back at Noct. 

“You’re the king. We’re your shield, personal advisor slash lover, and best friend. We can’t really do our jobs unless you’re alive and here… Right?” Gladio 

Prompto snickered, Ignis audibly sighed and shook his head, and Noctis’s cheeks tinged with red as he smiled. 

Noct slowly stood up and nodded. “Yeah… You’re right.”

___________________________________________________________________________

As the day wore on, Ignis started to feel better and was able to move around without too much difficulty.

“I think there’s enough light, we could make it back to Hammerhead before the daemons come out.” Ignis looked up, and then looked in the direction of outpost. 

“Are you sure? We could camp another night and head out in the morning.” Prompto asked, with a flash of worry across his face. “I just… I don’t… I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you again…” He said softly, playing with the hem of his shirt. 

“Prompto, you did just fine. We were outnumbered. It’s not your fault I was injured.” 

Gladio rubbed Prompto’s back. “You need to stop that, ‘To… If you hadn’t taken out what you did, we would have surely died.” 

Prompto looked up and nodded, with an unsure smile. “If you say so…” 

“Besides, I’ll put Iggy on Varen, he’ll go ahead of us. I’ll call Cindy, she’ll get him comfortable in the trailer and we’ll follow behind.” Noct said with a wave of his hand and Varen hopping up excited. 

“Kweh kweh!” He flapped his wings in agreement. 

“Well, if the bird is in agreement, then I say lets pack it up and get the hell out of here.” Gladio grinned, which made everyone else feel at ease. 

They quickly took down the tent, rolling up as much gear as possible for Varen to safely take back with them. 

“Are you sure Noct?” Ignis looked at him as his finished folding up the last chair. 

“Ignis, you are still too injured to fight. I don’t care that you’re up and walking around. There’s no way you would be able to outmaneuver the enemy. Besides, I think Varen will enjoy having someone else on him for a change.” Noct shoved the chair in it’s bag and secured it to Varen’s saddle before wrapping his arms around Ignis, burying his face into the other man’s neck. 

“I know… I don’t want to be separated from you again either. Please, try not to worry.” He kissed up Ignis’s neck to his jawline which made his eyes flutter close and sent a shiver through his body. 

“Noct… It’s hard not to worry when there are more than just beasts about.” He said breathlessly as Noct continued to kiss his way up to his mouth. Ignis trailed his fingers down the other man’s back to his waist, bringing him closer. 

A devilish grin flashed across Noct’s face as he licked across Iggy’s lips. “I think we can handle them.” He whispered before nipping at Ignis’s bottom lip. A soft moan slipped through both of their lips before...

“Damn, we’re getting quite the show, eh Gladio?” Prompto stood with his hips cocked to the right, left hand on his hip and licked his lips, though a faint blush sat on his cheeks. 

“Hell, if I knew we were gonna get a show, I may have said let’s stay another night.” Gladio grinned and wrapped his arms around Prompto. 

Noct rolled his eyes, flipped them off and nuzzled Ignis’s neck.

Ignis chuckled “I dare say, we should wait until I’m healed, and we’re in the safety of an actual room before we attempt anything.” 

Noct whined softly and rested his head against Iggy’s shoulder. “I know. I just miss you. All of you…” The other two snickered at them and Ignis fought the urge to be childish and stick his tongue out at them. 

“We should get going though, if we want to make it there before sundown.” Gladio looked up into the sky and then back at them. 

There was a collective sigh before Noct pulled away from Ignis and turned to Varen. “You protect him at all costs, okay?” 

“Kweh!” 

Noct smiled, pulled out some curiel greens out of a side pouch and fed them to Varen. “This will help you get there faster. Boosts his galloping speed so you should have no problem out running beasts, or Majetek if they show up.” He turned back to Ignis. 

“Shall I?” He gestured to helping him up onto the bird. 

Ignis smiled sheepishly and nodded. “I’m not used to having to rely on others for help, it makes me feel…” 

“Helpless?!” Prompto squeaked. 

Gladio poked him in the side. “Shut up man. Let’s not make it any worse on him.” 

“Owie.. Well, I mean, that’s how I’d feel.” Prompto grumbled and rubbed his side.

Ignis chuckled “You’re not wrong, Prompto. Yes, I don’t like feeling this helpless, but I will take the help because I don’t think I can pull myself up onto Varen without it.” 

Gladio let go of Prompto and walked to the other side while Ignis put his foot into the stirrup and held out his hand for Gladio to grab onto. 

“On three. One… Two.. Three!” Noct helped push Ignis up as Gladio pulled while Ignis swung his leg over. 

He felt unbalanced for a moment while he situated himself and groaned “Ouch… I’m still more sore than I thought.” 

“Do you need a potion before you go?” Noct offered. 

Ignis raised his hand dismissively. “No. You need those in case something happens on the way back. I will be fine.”

Noctis gulped and grabbed Ignis's hand. "Ride fast, don't pull any stupid stunts. We will get there soon." 

Ignis squeezed his hand and then looked at all of them. "Be safe. I.." He paused. "I couldn't imagine life without any of you in it." 

Prompto did his nose crinkle grin and finger guns at him.

Gladio patted his leg. "Don't worry about us. We'll be there in a few hours." 

Ignis nodded, and look one more look at Noct. "I love you." He stroked his cheek before grabbing the reins "Hyeah!" and Varen took off with a loud "KWEH!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sappy everyone. 
> 
> Long awaited kisses. 
> 
> Wait awaits them back in Hammerhead?


	12. UPDATE - Where have I been?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a life update.

So hello! I wanted to give a short update on what's been going on since it's been quite a while since I posted an update for "Promise". 

Life went into the toilet, and I've been struggling with my mental health, and trying to juggle work, and home and social stuff. 

I also fell into hard into Kingsglaive ;-;, which is why everything that has been posted recently, has been related to that. It's been easier to do one shots, instead of continuations on existing series I have.

Don't worry! There is a new chapter in the works. It's been slow going, but it's there. <3 I haven't forgotten about our boys, and poor Ignis riding off on Varen. 

Thank you for reading, commenting, kudo-ing. I really appreciate it <3 


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